y meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

y

characteralso spelled Y

/j/ · /aɪ/

Letter, Lowercase The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, called wy or wye and written in the Latin script.

Related terms: Historically, this letter was sometimes used to approximate þ, as in yt, yͧ, and ye

noun

/waɪ/

A figure or mark in the shape of the letter Y.

A Y-shaped object, such as a railroad fork or a support for a telescope; a wye, a bifurcation.

Biology, Lepidopterology, Natural sciences, Zoology A moth of the genus Plusia, having markings resembling the letter Y.

character

Letter, Uppercase The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, called wye and written in the Latin script.

Letter, Uppercase Used for the Greek letter Υ (Y, “upsilon”).

noun

Etymology Clippings.

Canada, US, Informal A particular facility run by the YMCA/YWCA.

Of course, the audience up here at the Bronx “Y” will probably be a little parochial, but if I make good in the lecture, I might one day end up speaking down at the Lex. Ave. “Y” where great thinkers like Norman Mailer and Seymour Krim are always airing their views.1963 (date written), John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces, London: Penguin Books, published 1980 (1981 printing), →ISBN:
When a 50ish woman at my Y learned that I was about to turn 80, she exclaimed, “80 is the new 60, and you set a great example for the rest of us!”2021 May 17, Jane E. Brody, “A Birthday Milestone: Turning 80!”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for y and Y.